Getting started

4Gliders

Adding the wings you fly, setting glide ratio, trim and max speed, and what McCready does with them.

Mixed, see chapter

Why the glider matters#

Several of the most useful numbers in the app are not measured, they are calculated from how your wing performs. Required glide, arrival height over a turnpoint or goal, the glide line drawn on the map, the speed to fly recommendation and the final glide banner all start from your glider's glide ratio and speed range.

Caution

If you never set up a glider, those numbers are guesses. Adding your wing with realistic figures is the single change that improves the flight computer the most.

Where Settings › Gliders

Adding a glider#

Gliders come from a shared catalog of brands and models. Searching it needs a connection, so add your wings at home rather than on launch.

  1. Open Settings, then Gliders.
  2. Press Add glider.
  3. Type at least three characters of the brand or the model into Search brand or model.
  4. Pick your wing, and its size if the catalog lists sizes.
  5. The app confirms with Glider added and the wing appears under My gliders.
Fig. 4.1The gliders page. Every wing here can be selected on the Flight tab before a flight.

Note

If the search finds nothing, press Create new glider manually and enter the brand and model yourself. Both are required. The wing is added to your list right away and the suggestion is saved for approval, so it can join the shared catalog later.

Caution

Offline the app shows You are offline. Glider search is only available when you are online. Creating a glider also needs a connection.

Glider parameters#

Every wing carries three numbers that describe how it flies. Open them with the edit button on the glider row, which opens Glider parameters.

Glide ratio
For example 10.5
The best glide of your wing in still air. It sets the slope of the glide line on the map and the arrival height over any target. Use the manufacturer figure as a start, then reduce it slightly to match what you really achieve. An optimistic value makes final glides look better than they are.
Trim speed
km/h
Your hands up cruise speed. It is the reference speed for time to goal and arrival calculations. Typical paragliders sit around 35 to 40 km/h. The app warns outside 25 to 70 km/h, and ignores values outside 10 to 80 km/h in flight.
Max speed
km/h
Speed on full bar. It bounds the speed to fly recommendation, so the app never suggests a speed your wing cannot reach. Typical paragliders sit around 50 to 60 km/h. The app warns outside 45 to 80 km/h, and it must be greater than trim speed.
Fig. 4.2Glider parameters. These three numbers drive most of the flight computer.

Tip

Fly a few glides on a calm evening and read the current glide ratio tile. Set the glide ratio to what you actually see rather than the brochure figure, and your final glides become honest.

McCready#

McCready is the climb you expect in your next thermal, described by the app as Expected climb in the next thermal. Drives speed to fly recommendations. It is the link between how good the day is and how fast you should fly between climbs.

A high McCready
You expect strong climbs, so time in cruise is expensive. The app suggests flying faster and accepting more sink.
A low McCready
You expect weak climbs, so height is precious. The app suggests flying closer to best glide.
Auto
Leave the override off and the app uses your rolling last thermal average instead, so the recommendation follows the day as it develops.
  1. Open Settings, then Gliders.
  2. Find the McCready row.
  3. Use Increase McCready and Decrease McCready to set the value, or leave it on Auto to track the real conditions.

Tip

Auto is the right default for most pilots. Set it by hand when you already know the day, for example on a strong competition day where you intend to only stop for the best cores.

The result is visible in the speed to fly tiles and the linear speed to fly bar. See Final glide, ESS and goal for how it is used.

Managing your gliders#

Keep every wing you fly in the list. You choose which one you are on when you start a flight, and the flight is recorded against it, so your logbook keeps the wings straight.

  1. To remove a wing, use the remove button on its row.
  2. To change its numbers, use the edit button on its row.

Note

The app remembers the last wing you flew and preselects it on the Flight tab, so a one wing pilot never has to touch this again.